Is it hard for you or someone else you know to go traveling? Maybe you are a grandparent who would love to take a grandchild traveling, but can’t afford the expense. Or maybe you have some spare time; you like playing computer games, and you would like to explore some unfamiliar cities. Here’s a cheap solution; it’s called Big Fish Games.

The online games site offers a variety of “hidden object” games that take the player to well-known tourist spots in big metropolitan areas around the world, like Rome, Venice, Sydney, and San Francisco.

The site’s “Travelogue 360” games take players to Paris and Rome. Sydney, Australia, and San Francisco, California are featured in the site’s “Big City Adventures” games.

The games are challenging and can be easily understood by nearly any age of player. And best of all, they are fun!

It’s that time again; I’ve resisted long enough.I must return to one of my favorite spots in the world: New York City.Besides the fact I am addicted to NYC, I made a personal promise to myself that I would visit the Big Apple on every major holiday.I’ve already done Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and St. Patrick’s Day.So, now it’s time for one of the biggest hooplas of all:Independence Day!

Airfares from Canada, especially if we fly on our own major holiday, Canada Day, are cheap, so now I must find a NYC hotel.My husband and I took a liking to the Helmsley Park Lane (we’ve stayed there 3 times before), so I pulled up the hotel’s website, input our travel dates, and voila.Yikes!So much for the high life.

“The what?” we responded. Doug was intense with excitement. He was one of our new cruise ship buddies who happened to be visiting the Old Melbourne Gaol (jail), too.

“You have to do it. It runs every half hour, but they only take 20 people,” he added. “There’re lining up right now in front of the building.”

“Okay, thanks.” We nodded and scurried out of the somber building.

But my stomach was feeling a little queasy; I was not sure if I was up for more of this gaol’s brand of “experiences.” I had already spent an hour inside the Old Melbourne Gaol; the death masks, the whipping frame, and the horrific correctional devices employed by the gaol in its early history were not for the faint-of-heart. And mine was feeling very faint.

So, it was with a fair level of trepidation that I followed Doug’s advice and joined the queue for the Melbourne Gaol’s “Watch House Experience.”

I began to regret my decision when I met the gaol’s intimidating desk sergeant…

You’ve just returned from your vacation. You had a good time – partied hard, did a few things that maybe you shouldn’t have done, and took the pictures to prove it. But now you realize you have misplaced your digital camera. Is there anything worse than a lost camera full of vacation photos? Yes.

It’s having those private pictures show up on the Internet for the entire world to see.

That’s the brainchild of University of Winnipeg student, Matt Preprost. This newest Web guru has created a site designed to help unite lost digital photos and cameras with their (embarrassed?) owners. It’s called, www.ifoundyourcamera.net.

Preprost’s wild idea has already netted results. In only the first few days of the ifoundyourcamera.net site’s launch, photos were reunited with their takers.

A combination of your creativity and Matt’s site, could be your ticket to fame…read on…

Sydney, Australia’s Powerhouse Museum and the dainty Princess of Wales don’t really seem to fit together. But then again, they really do. Up until early May 2008, the city of Sydney, is hosting a special exhibit dedicated to the late Princess Diana, one of the most influential and powerful women the world has ever known. So, in that sense, the Powerhouse Museum and the adored Princess are a perfect pairing.

I, as a fan of Diana, could have gone back through the exhibit again and again, but time was short, so an hour was all I could budget. Here are the hi-lights.

Actually, it was more like 12 hours, but I had already experienced enough derision from my travel mates. So, I didn’t fess up to the real amount of time. But…

I had precious cargo to transport. And I wanted it to survive the ravages of airline luggage wranglers, airline conveyor belts, and airline scales.

I was not about to leave my hand-selected New Zealand wines behind; but neither did I want to ship the bottles only to have them broken in transit. And I didn’t want to pay an overweight baggage fee at the airport. So, logistical plans take awhile. Okay?

I have brought back many fragile things in my suitcases — with almost complete success. Especially wine. I haven’t lost a bottle, well, except one to an unscrupulous airport security inspector, but that’s another story…

A Quick and Easy Guide

Here is a quick and easy guide for the supplies you will need, and tips for how to pack your imported wine for safe and secure transport in your suitcase….